Early in May of 1922 the Farmers Branch Board of Education called a special election to authorize a 20-cent tax on each $100 of assessed property evaluation for the purpose of school support and on May 23, 1922, the voters of Farmers Branch authorized the additional tax.  Thereafore, the Board of Education hired an additional teacher for the 1922-1923 school year. For the year of 1922-1923 Miss Laton of Wheatland was named as school principal. Other staf members were: Miss Deering of Grapevine, along with Mrs. Tom Moore and Miss Ola Good.  The Farmers Branch Board of Education for 1923-1924 included:  Tom. W. Field, President, H. W. Marsh, C. E. Pendergrass, Hattie C. Strait, Elmer Adams, Secretary; P. B. Harbin, J. H. Reader.

Note: So far as is known, Hattie Strait was the first woman to serve on a Board of Education in this area of Dallas County.

The School staff for 1923-1924 included Miss Lala Layton, Mrs. Tom Moore, Miss Minnie Deering, and Miss Ola Good.  The May 18, 1923 edition of the Carrollton Chronicle announced: "... For the first time its history Farmers Brance [sic] observed commencement. Had a real live graduating class."

The October 30, 1925 issue of the Chronicle announced: "The boys of Farmers Branch hae just organized a real football team."  However, the December 2, 1925, issue brought the news that: "The Farmers Branch football squadd [sic] .... with a score of 46-0."

The June 7, 1929, edition f the Carrollton Chronicle sated: "This school year has brot [sic] new honors to Farmers Branch school in that Lawson Lewis won first place over 800 other seventh grade pupils from Dallas County in a test in reading and arithmetic. Richmond Cook of the first grade won second place in reading..."

On June 6, 1930, the Chronicle announced the flowing graduates from the Farmers Branch school:  Maurine and Ernestine Dennis; Fred Good; John Tom Padgett; Robert Chapman; Buddy Markham, Charlie Harrison; Eulis McLester, Leon Ponce; and Henry Calloway.

An item in the March 20, 1931, Chronicle stated: "A P.T.A. was organized at the school house here last Thursday afternoon. Officers were elected and twelve members voted to join the state and national associations."

The May 28, 1937, Chronicle announced: "There were 28 graduates from the [Farmers Branch] seventh grande this year the largest class ever recorded here."  P.T.A. officers for the year were Mrs. Leonard Hartline, President; Mrs. Tom Field, Treasurer; Mrs. Manard Ford, Secretary. Teddy Marsh drove the school bus for that year.

The Valedictorian of the Farmers Branch seventh grade for 1938-1939 was Christien Noell and the Salutatorian was Nannie Blankenship.  The April 19, 1940, issue of the Chronicle announced: "Farmers Branch plans to have3 a new high school building of her own.  She voted $30,000 bonds toward such a project last week."   However, no further mention of this projct ever appeared in the news media.  The 34 Farmers Branch graduates of the seventh grade in the year 1941 still had to attend high school either in Carrollton or Dallas.

By the fall of 1944 Farmers Branch ad added an eighth grade to its school with Mrs. C. W. Rush as the teacher. The P.T.A. had a total of 33 members and the officers were:  President, Mrs. Tom W. Field, Vice President, Mrs. J. B. Crouch; Secretary, Mrs. O. H. Robinson; Treaserer, Mrs. Floyd May

By the middle of the 20th century [1950], Farmers Branch boasted an effective public school system which included gades one through eight and it was supported by an active P.T.A. organization. The stage was set for the issue which would eventually divide the community and lead to the end of the local independent school district in Farmers Branch.

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On April 16, 1954, the Board of Trustees of the Farmers Branch Independent School District paxses a resolution which stated in part:

... WHEREAS, heretofore on the 24th day of April, 1954, pursuant to previous order and notice an election was held in Farmers Branch Independent School District for the purpose of determining whether or not said district should be abolished, and:

WHEREAS, the official returns of said election show that a total of 805 votes were cast at said election, that 413 votes were cast for the abolishment of said district that 392 votes were cast against the abolishment thereof, thereby showing according to said returns that said election carried by a majority of twenty-one votes, and:

WHEREAS, under the conditions which have arisen on account of said election and the result thereof including the discontinuance of state funds for further school operation and the holding of maintenance disbursement by the school depository pending the taking of control by the County Board of School Trustees and confusion [sic] as to the right of this board to continue to operate same and the further fact that on account of such abolishment it is now the right and duty of the County Board of School Trustees of Dallas County, Texas, to operate, manage, and control said district:

NOW THEREFORE, it is ordered that the operations of said district by its board of trustees cease at the end of the school day of April 27th, 1954.

GLEN T. BRUNSON
President, Board of Trustees,
by order of the Board.

ATTEST:
CHARLES B. COX, Secretary.

This Came to an end the Farmers Branch Independent School District after over fifty years of service to the children and citizens of Farmers Branch. However, the roots of this action extended back over a three-year period of Increasing controversy which split the Farmers Branch community and eventually ended the independent school district.

On Saturday, June 2, 1951, the citizens of Farmers Branch went to the polls and by a 52-15 vote approved a bond issue of $250,000 in order to build a new elementary school on Royal Lane to serve the school children of Field City, the southwest portion of the school district. Some 73 per cent of the students enrolled in the Farmers Branch School District lived in this area and the school would be constructed just east of Nicholson road on a ten-acre tract. This far, matters appeared to be port of the school district. The first overt sign of trouble showed itself on Saturday, April 19, 1952, when the voters of Farmers Branch by a 90 to 70 vote rejected an additional bond issue of #30,000 to equip the new Field City Elementary School.

On April 25, 1952, the Carrollton Chronicle carried the headline: "SPOTLIGHT TO BE ON FARMERS BRANCH SCHOOL TURSTEE RACE."  The accompanying story stated that reports were current that a petition was being circulated n Farmers Branch to Join the the local school district with that of Dallas. Two Farmers Branch candidates for the school board based their campaign on favoring the construction of a Farmers Branch high school without a raise in local taxes. The individuals, Jack C. Taylor and Glen F. Brunson, were elected by a substantial majority and Brunson was elected President of the Farmers Branch Board of Education. The $30,000 bond issue for equipping the new Field City school was resubmitted to the voters on Saturday, May 24, 1952, and this was approved bya vote of 111-52.

On September 19, 1952, Tom W. Field donated 13.13 acres of land, valued over $20,000 as a future site for a new senior high school on the condition that the school be named after his wife, Vivian Field. On the surface the local school situation appeared tranquil but to some, storm clouds were apparently appearing on the horizon. In February of 1953, A. H. Pritchard resigned as Superintendent of the Farmers Branch Independent School District effective June 30 of that year.

The March 20, 1953, issue of the Chronicle carried the announcement that Morris "Fannie" Roach had been appointed to serve as Superintendent of the Farmers Branch Independent School District. Roach, a former Superintendent of the Carrollton Independent School District from 1942 until 1945, did not realize it, but he would be compelled to preside over the abolishment of the Farmers Branch school organization.

On June 26, 1953, Superintendent Roach of Farmers Branch announced a $350,000 bond issue election for July 11, 1953. The bonds were to be used to erect a new senior high school for Farmers Branch.  However, Roach also announced: "... a favorable vote will require a 50 percent across the board increase in valuations of all property. .... the $1.00 tax rate ... will remain the same."  On July 11, 1953, the voters of Farmers Branch defeated the $350,000 bond proposal by a 152-149 count. It was said that opposition to the bond issue had been headed by Wallace W. Skinner, Frank C. Bolton, Frank L. HOlian, C. W. Sensenbach, T. W. Cowly, Jr., M. F. Mason, and L. F. Neely. (Chronicle, July 17, 1953.)

The proponents of the new high school were not content with defeat and called for another election on the issue to be held Saturday, August 22, 1953. This time the pro high school group won and the $350,000 bond issue was approved by a vote of 195-192. It was announced that school officials would keep the $1 tax rate, but would raise property valuations by 50 percent.  Opponents were still active, and took the mater to court. They were defeated twice, the second being in federal court when Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes declared the $350,000 bond issue to be valid.

The opponents were still not satisfied and early in March of 1954 they petitioned Judge Lew Sterrett to set a date for an election to abolish the Farmers Branch Independent School District.  The petition was signed by 292 taxpayers who requested the district be absorbed by the Dallas school system. The judge approved the election and on April 24, 1954, the citizens of Farmers Branch abolished their independent school district by a vote of 413-392. The Dallas County Board of Education took over operation of the defunct Farmers Branch schols for the remainder of the school year and reopened classes May 5, 1954, after having been closed for one week.

In early June of 1954, the Fifth Court of Civil Appeals declared the $350,000 Farmers Branch bond issue to be void. In July of 1954, the Dallas County Board of Education resolved the Farmers Branch situation by awarding 7 square miles of the 13 square moles of he former district to Dallas while 6 square miles were awarded to the Carrollton Independent School District.

Farmers Branch had succeeded in abolishing its independent school district.

It is interesting to note that in November of 1954, Farmers Branch voters approved a bond issue of $490,000 for water and sewer improvement by a vote of 85 to 3.

Article appeared in the Elm Fork Echoes; Volume XVII December 1989; No. 2